The Jackson Township
Supervisors present a check to Tri-Area Museum & Historical Society
to support the Liberty Museum Project.

Jackson
Township
Historical Preservation Committee

Bruce Baker

Tammy Baker

Donna Davis

Zelda Dugan

Dave Hirko

Jim Lauffer

Linda Lesko

Dick McDowell

Judy Rose

The Jackson Township
Historical Preservation Committee was formed to research, gather and
preserve historical information and artifacts concerning the history
of Jackson Township. The Historical Preservation Committee
works hand-in-hand with the Nant-Y-Glo Tri-Area Museum & Historical
Society.

Jackson Township,
Cambria County, Pennsylvania, was organized January 3,
1828, and was taken from Cambria and Summerhill
Townships. It was named for Andrew Jackson who was
elected to the presidency that year. There were less than
ninety land owners in the Township. In 1860, the
population was 854 and in 2000 it was slightly over 5200.
At Mundys Corner the height above sea level is 1897 feet;
at Chickaree, 2369 feet; at Vinco, 1722 feet and near
Vintondale, 1480 feet.

Many changes have occurred to the once flourishing and
prosperous industries, small businesses and productive
farms of the past that have since disappeared, some
beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitants.

Several of these communities are inhabited by the
descendants of those first settlers who came from
Germany, Wales, Holland, England, Ireland, and in more
recent times, Austria and Southern Europe.

The names of the villages in the township originated in
the usual manner: Brown, named for the earliest settler,
John Brown; Clinefelter, formerly Klinefelter, from an
early family of that name; Burkhart's Crossing, named for
Daniel Burkhart, son of the first settler Joseph
Burkhart; Chickaree, from the native squirrel. The Jack
Rager community was named for Jackson Rager, who was a
son of Michael Rager, first settler and Revolutionary
soldier; Dishong, named for Paul Dishong, first settler;
Fords Corners, named for Ben Ford who had a store there
and was a grandson of Michael Ford, one of Vincos
first settlers; Singer Hill, named for John Singer, early
settler.

Vinco was first named Wallopsburg, 1865-67, then
Fairview. According to the story, word had been received
by the local postmaster that because of the many
Fairviews in the state, resulting in
confusion to the postal authorities, a new name was
desired for the local village. So one evening
around the cracker barrel a group of men had
gathered in the store and post office conducted by David
Simmons. Dr. J.C. Wakefield, local physician, John
Allbaugh and others were discussing the matter between
them. A popular tobacco was a brand known as the
Vinco tobacco, which Mr. Allbaugh was using
at the time, and he humorously suggested it as a suitable
name. Dr. Wakefield agreed, and it was adopted as the
name of their village.

Leidys Lane is so called because all of its
residents were Leidys; Samuel Leidy was the first settler
by that name. Teeter was once part of the Judge Murray
tract; Nathaniel Teeter later cleared ground and settled
there and the school and community were named for him.

In 1887 Jackson Township had eleven schools with eleven
teachers; the average term was five months and there were
303 children attending school. In 1953 there were 865
school children. Schools listed prior to that time were
Duncan, Dishong, Chickaree, Clinefelter, Wagner, Jack
Rager, Pike (or Gray), Burkhart, Leidy, Brown, Teeter and Vinco.
A schoolhouse was located at what is known to this day as
the schoolhouse flats at the bend of the road
below Chickaree. In 1872, a schoolhouse was built on
Leidys Lane, situated near a small stream that runs
through the valley, on the same side of the road as the
old Henry Leidy barn. The school, but not the building,
was moved to Mundys Corner in 1913. The little Leidy
school was where many of our prominent older men and
women once taught. The Burkhart school originated in a
room at the Joseph Burkhart Mill. Later, a small school
was erected along the now abandoned highway leading to
St. Paul's Lutheran Church and finally at Burkhart's
Crossing.

The following churches have been or are in existence in
Jackson Township: German Baptist, known as the Horner
Church, 1843 to 1900, situated between Vinco and Wesley
Chapel; Vinco Brethren, 1884; Singer Hill Grace Brethren,
1940; Mundys Corner Brethren, 1871, changed to Grace
Brethren in 1940; Mt. Olive, 1872, member of the
Evangelical Association of America, later combined
with United Brethren and is now E.U.B.; Evangelical,
known as Albright Church at Mundys Corner, 1895-1901; St.
Paul's Lutheran, Ogden, 1860; First Finnish Lutheran,
Nanty Glo, 1902-1953, now combined with St. Paul's
Lutheran; St. John Vianney, 1949.

The Galbraith Road, the first public road to the county,
crossed what is now Jackson Township. For reasons not
discovered, old-time residents referred to it as the
Washington Road. It was opened around the
year 1790 and entered Jackson Township through the Joseph
Burkhart farm and continued to the vicinity of Mundys
Corner and on to the top of Pergrim Hill and to the top
of Laurel Mountain, crossing the present road leading
from Route 22 to Vintondale. Residents of the Township
state that parts of the Galbraith Road are still
identifiable.

Based on the stories handed down from an earlier
generation, droves of turkeys, hogs and cattle were
driven over the Galbraith Road. It is reported that there
was one instance of 500 hogs herded at one time and
another instance of 2,300 turkeys passing over the road.

The next important road to cross the Township was known
as Huntington, Indiana and Cambria Turnpike which was
completed about 1820. This road traversed the county by
way of Mundys Corner from the east of Pittsburgh and is
reported to have had nine toll gates.

While the turnpike was under construction, a road was
laid out from Johnstown to what is now Mundys
Corner. In early times this community was a vast forest,
with its population limited to the occupants of two small
cabins, known as Bellows Cabins. Later, this
small community was officially called Mondays
Square for the Monday family who were among the
earliest residents of the community. However, it has
never kept that name, or the original spelling, but has
continued to be called Mundys Corner.

Nant-Y-Glo Tri Area
Museum and Historical Society; This newly formed group is
looking for people with like interests to join in the fun
of collecting and preserving the rich history of our
area, for future generations. Check out additional
history on Jackson Township locatged at the following
site:Nant-Y-Glo Tri-Area Museum
& Historical Society
You can contact the Nant-Y-Glo Tri Area Historical Society by sending an
email to ngtamhs@hotmail.com